Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about the Nintendo DSi. For more specific information about any of the Nintendo DSi’s features, visit the System Features section of this site.

What makes the Nintendo DSi different from the Nintendo DS or DS Lite?
In addition to a slimmer design and moderately larger screens, the Nintendo DSi boasts three new features that are unique to the system and ready to enjoy upon purchase:

Nintendo DSi Shop and DSiWare
The Nintendo DSiWare application will populate Nintendo DSi with software that can be downloaded from the Nintendo DSi Shop using Nintendo DSi Points directly to the portable system, just as WiiWare has with Nintendo's Wii console. Nintendo DSiWare games and applications will be available at a range of values. Learn more.

Nintendo DSi Camera
One new feature of the slim Nintendo DSi system is its two cameras - one camera is on the external body, and the second one points at the user when the device is flipped open. It offers the first truly interactive digital camera in a video game system with 10 different interactive "lenses" that can manipulate your photos. Learn more.

Nintendo DSi Sound
The new Nintendo DSi Sound serves as both an interactive voice recorder and music player that allows users to play with their music while they listen to it. Users can access different audio filters or control the pitch and speed of recorded voice or music files to alter voices or change the tempo of a song. Learn more.

Parental Controls
The Nintendo DSi offers Parental Controls which provide a means to manage the access users have to a wide range of content. Some of the content that can be restricted includes which Nintendo DSi software can be played (based on ESRB rating), the use of the Internet Browser, the sharing of photos, and the PictoChat feature. Learn more.

New Accessories
Because the Nintendo DSi is so much different than other Nintendo DS systems, it is only compatible with the accessories that are included with the system. The Nintendo DSi is not compatible with most Nintendo DS and DS Lite accessories. These include:

Nintendo DS and DS Lite AC Adapters

Nintendo DS and DS Lite rechargeable battery packs

Any Nintendo DS game or accessory that requires the use of the Game Boy Advance slot, such as the Nintendo DS Browser or Rumble Pak

Also, the stylus which comes with the Nintendo DSi is slightly longer than the Nintendo DS / DS Lite stylus. Either stylus can be used with either system, but the Nintendo DSi stylus will slightly extend out from a Nintendo DS or DS Lite system when placed in the stylus holder.

How do I browse the Internet? Can I block access to the Internet?
The Nintendo DSi does not come pre-installed with Internet access. To access the Internet through your Nintendo DSi, you must first download the Nintendo DSi Browser from the Nintendo DSi Shop. Learn more.

If you have downloaded the Nintendo DSi Browser and you would like to restrict access to browsing the Internet, this can be done through the Parental Control settings of the system. Learn more.

What games can be played on the Nintendo DSi?

The Nintendo DSi offers a variety of different types of games to play. This includes downloadable games as well as games sold at retail.

DSiWare (downloadable software through Nintendo DSi Shop)
DSiWare includes games and applications you can download onto your Nintendo DSi system using the Nintendo DSi Shop. The Nintendo DSi system comes pre-installed with the Nintendo DSi Shop. With the Nintendo DSi Shop, you can redeem Nintendo DSi Points which allow you to download Nintendo DSi software to your system. This is similar to WiiWare titles on the Wii console.

Note: broadband Internet access required.

To learn more about DSiWare, including all you need to know about Nintendo DSi Points and the Nintendo DSi Shop, please click here.

There are 5 DSiWare titles available immediately to download with the launch of Nintendo DSi. Keep checking our Game Guide for more titles - click here.

Nintendo DSi Exclusive Games
New games are being developed that can be played only on the Nintendo DSi. These Nintendo DSi exclusive games offer a new type of interactive gaming experience thanks to the unique features of the Nintendo DSi (such as the Nintendo DSi Camera and Nintendo DSi Sound). Keep checking www.nintendo.com for more news about these games.

Nintendo DS Games (games made for Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS Lite)
The Nintendo DSi can also play most Nintendo DS games, which means hundreds of titles are available at the launch of the Nintendo DSi. Nintendo DS games that use the Game Boy Advance game card slot either won't play on the Nintendo DSi, or won't have some features available during game play.

DS Download Play
With DS Download Play, you can download and play certain multiplayer games with other Nintendo DSi, Nintendo DS Lite, and Nintendo DS users even if you have only one copy of a game. You can also send and receive demos of certain software titles. You can be the 'host' if you are the one with a game cartridge, or, you can be the 'receiver' when someone else has a game cartridge. Follow the instructions in the instruction booklet of DS Download Play-compatible games. For more information on DS Download Play, click here.

Can I play Game Boy Advance games on my Nintendo DSi?
There is no game slot for Game Boy Advance (GBA) games on the Nintendo DSi, which means you cannot play GBA games on your Nintendo DSi system.

Will Game Boy games be available in the Nintendo DSi Shop?We are not planning on offering this service at this point.

How do I play my music files on the Nintendo DSi?
In order to listen to songs on your Nintendo DSi, you will first need to copy the songs you want to listen to onto a compatible SD or SDHC card. Keep in mind, not all songs are compatible with the Nintendo DSi. Some songs may be copy protected and will not work. The Nintendo DSi is compatible with AAC audio files with a filename extension of .m4a, .mp4, or .3gp.

Open Windows Explorer (for PC) or Finder (for Mac) and select the drive being used by the SD Card to open it.

Open another instance of Windows Explorer or Finder and navigate to where the music is stored.

Highlight the desired file(s) and/or folders, copy them, and then paste them into the first instance of Windows Explorer or Finder to create copies on the SD Card.

Finding music files on a PC or Mac

If you don’t know where your music files are stored, try the following searches using Windows Explorer (for PC) or Finder (Mac).

Name of the song

Name of the folder the song is stored in

Name of the artist (many programs automatically create a folder for the artist)

Filename extensions (*.m4a *.mp4 or *.3gp)

Converting music into compatible AAC audio files
Music files that you want to play on your Nintendo DSi may or may not be copy protected. Music files that are copy protected can not be converted to compatible AAC files for play on the Nintendo DSi. Music files that are not copy protected can be converted to different formats using commercially available music file converters. Nintendo does not provide a process to convert music files. We don’t have any specific recommendations for which program to use; however, many are available to download from the Internet. Some websites will charge you for the download, while others may be free.

When researching which converter you might want to use, you will want to make sure the converter works with the file format you are currently using as well as the AAC format. For example, if your songs are currently in .mp3 format, you will want to find a program that can convert MP3 files to AAC.

How do I send and receive pictures?
Sending and receiving pictures is done through the Nintendo DSi Camera feature of the system. With Nintendo DSi Camera, you can take pictures using eleven different lenses that you can use to manipulate your pictures in fun and creative ways. You can also create slide shows, set your pictures as the "wallpaper" for the top screen of the Nintendo DSi, and share your pictures with family and friends.

Please note, the Nintendo DSi allows you to share photos in 2 ways: over a local wireless connection within 65 feet of other Nintendo DSi owners (more info), or by saving the photos to an SD Card. You cannot share photos over the Internet directly from the Nintendo DSi. However, once a photo has been copied onto an SD Card, since SD Cards can be read by other devices, such as a home computer, they can be edited and uploaded to the Internet or printed without the permission of the photo's creator. For those interested, you can prevent the exchange of photos with the Parental Controls feature of the system.

Can I use a Wii Points card to purchase points in the Nintendo DSi Shop?
Yes, if you have a Wii Points card that you have not used, this card can be used in the Nintendo DSi Shop to obtain points. Please note that points obtained in one Shop can not be transferred to the other. Once a Wii Points card is used to obtain Nintendo DSi Shop points, these points can only be used in the Nintendo DSi Shop.

Is the Nintendo DSi internationally compatible?
Because the Nintendo DSi utilizes region encoding, international compatibility is limited.

DSi Ware games and other downloadable content
The Nintendo DSi Shop is specific to the region for which the Nintendo DSi system was manufactured. For example, a Japanese system can download DSi Ware games and other software only from the Nintendo DSi Shop for the Japanese region, regardless of where the system is being played.

Nintendo DSi exclusive game cards
Nintendo DSi game cards that are only compatible with Nintendo DSi (and not Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS Lite) are region locked. This means Nintendo DSi-specific game cards manufactured for the U.S. market would not work in a system made for another country.

Nintendo DS / Nintendo DS Lite game cards
Older Nintendo DS and DS Lite software is region-free, so you can play most of that software on a Nintendo DSi from any region. It's possible, however, that future Nintendo DS software will incorporate region encoding. In these instances, these games would not work in a system made for another country.